Automobile-elevator.



J. 0. VOGEL.

AUTOMOBILE ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I0. 911.

1,261,656. Patented A r. 2,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET WITNESSES 35 45 damp/70V e/ 52W s-zr ATTORNEYS J. 0. VOGEL.

AUTOMOBILE ELEVATOR.

AiPLlCAHON FILED 050.10, 1911.

1,261,656. Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

3 $HEETS-SHEET 2- W/r/vms k w 37 m j llvmvrofl v171665011116 kWh/6b. By a M A NORA/E vs J. O. VOGEL.

AUTOMOBILLELEVATOH.

APPLICAHON HLED 020.10. 1911.

l/VI/EN TOR JosephO. l aye/ y WITNESSES A TTORNE Y8 UNITED STATES PATEN TOE.

AUTOMOBILE-ELEVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

Application filed December 10, 1917. Serial No. 206,422.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn O. Voonn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Automobile- Elevator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to automobile elevators and has for its prime object to provide means on the elevator adapted to be brought into driving engagement with the driven wheels of the automobile by the running of the latter onto the elevator platform and whereby to cause the elevator to ascend with the automobile thereon by power derived from the latter.

A further important object is to provide on the elevator drive means of a character such as to be subject to the brake-control of the automobile in the descent of the elevator with the automobile thereon.

More specific objects of the invention are to provide power and brake means for the elevator coordinated with a known type of manually operated raising and lowering means and manually controlled brake means on the elevator, and adapted to be conveniently controlled by the occupant of the automobile on the elevator.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawin s forming a part of this specification in w 'ch similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views, it being understood that the drawings are merely illustrative of one example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an elevator having my invention embodied therein, parts being broken out and a portion of the fixed elevator structure being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a view at right angles to Fig. 1;

Fi 3 is a sectional plan view approximate y on the line 33, Fig. 1.

In the illustrated example of my invention the numeral 10 indicates generally the fixed parts of an elevator structure which may be of any suitable construction; 11 designates the elevator; and 12, the elevator platform. The numeral 13 indicates a pull wheel positioned in substantially the usual position of such wheels, and 14, the usual operating rope for said wheel. The wheel 13 is on a transverse shaft 15 and the latter has suitable driving connection as usual with the drum shaft 16, the drive connections in the present example including a pinion 17 on the shaft 15 meshing with a gear wheel 18 on the drum shaft. 19 indicates the usual rope drums from which the ropes 20 extend to the elevator 11 in the usual manner, whereby the elevator may be manually raised or lowered through the medium of the wheel 13 and its rope 11. On one drum 19 is the usual additional rope 21 extending to the counter-balancing weight 21.

The numeral 23 designates a known type .of brake lever connected with one end of and controllin the brake band 23 on the wheel 13. Sai brake lever is controlled by a pull rope 22 as usual but in my invention the control of the brake through the rope 22 is modified as follows: The rope 22 instead of usually connecting more or less di rectly with the brake lever 23, is pendent from a lateral arm 24 on a transverse rock shaft 25 on which is a second arm 26 from which a rope 27 extends upwardly over suitable guide ulleys 28 to the brake lever 23.

On the s aft 25 also is a third arm 29 from which a brake controlling rope 30 deends and extends through the platform 12 1n order to be in convenient reach of the chauffeur or operator in the automobile A when the latter is on' the platform 12. It will thus be seen that the brake can be controlled as usual by the rope 22 or through the medium of the rope 30 provided in accordance with my invention.

The power driven means to raise the elevator 11 in accordance with my invention consists of a second rope wheel 31 on the same shaft 15 as the manually operable wheel 13. Over the wheel 31 a drive rope 32 runs and runs also over a smaller rope wheel 33 on a stud shaft 3% turning in suitable bearings on the platform 12 of the elevator 11. On the shaft 34 also or otherwise in fixed relation to the wheel 33 is a gear pinion 35 which meshes with a smaller pinion 36 on a transverse shaft 37 on the platform 12. Endless drive belts 38 are driven by the shaft 37 and a corresponding parallel shaft 39 on the platform 12, said shafts having drums or broad pulleys over which the said belts run. one of said drums or pulleys being clearly indicated at 40 in Fig. 1. The belts 38 are in practice formed of canvas or equivalent material affording the desired frictional driving engagement with the driven wheels of the automobile; said belts are disposed. in openings 12' in the platform 12, see Fig. 3, and the upper runs of the belts which are the working runs, are flush or approximately so with said platfo rm. Beneath the upper runs of the-respective belts transverse supporting rollers 41 are provided turning at their ends in suitable bearings on the platform. When the automobile A. is on the elevator the-driven rear wheels thereof will lie on the drive belts 38.

on said structure, thence downward to and.

about a pulley 44 on a weight 45 sliding in suitable fixed guides 45. From the pulley 44 the drive rope 32 extends upwardly over a guide sheave 46 and laterally about a guide sheave 47 adjacent to the wheel 31 and thence to said wheel 31, all as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The numeral 48 indicates bufi'er posts or stops on the platform 12 to arrest the automobile A. when run onto the platform to thereby position the rear drive wheels on the belts 38. Belt tighteners 49 of any approved construction may be employed in connection with the belts 38.

With the described construction the automobile A. to be raised is run onto the platform 12 and the drive wheels having been positioned on the belt 38, in order to cause the elevator to ascend, the motor of the automobile is started and the elevator brake released by a pull on the rope 30, it being understood that normally the weighted lever 23 applies the brake and that a pull on either rope 30 or 22 will relieve the brake pressure. The brake ropes 22 and 30 may have weights 22 30 to counter-balance the brake lever as in known types of brakes of this general character. With the automobile drive wheels on the belt 38 and the elevator brake released, the power of the auto mobile now serves, through the turning of the rear wheels thereof, to frictionally drive the belts 38, and the latter in turn will drive the shaft 37 and shaft 34 with power wheel 33, thereby, through the drive belt 32, turning the upper power wheel 31 and, through the described connections, turning the shaft 1.6. The elevator having arrived at the desired floor or landing of the garage or other 1 g, the elevator brake is applied by t pull on the rope 30, thereby its 38 against turn g s t u tilde 3 may Y :l

menses the belts 38 will be permitted to move only as the rear driven wheels of the automobile are permitted to turn. At the same time the elevator brake 30 is available to control the descent if occasion requires.

1 would state in conclusion that while the illustrated example constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention, I do not limit myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

' Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In an elevator, drive means therefor including elements carried by the elevator platform and adapted to be driven by an automobile when the latter is on said platform, a brake for said drive means, a rock shaft, operative connection between the brake and rock shaft, and manually controlled means for said rock shaft, said last mentioned means including a pull rope positioned to be optionally operated by a person independent of the elevator platform, and a second rope pendent from the rock shaft in position to be reached by a person in an automobile on the platform.

2. lln an elevator, rope drums, a drive shaft, connections between the drive shaft .i

and the drums, a rope wheel on the drive shaft, a second rope wheel on the platform of the elevator, a drive rope running over the said rope wheels, and elements on the platform to drive the second rope wheel, said elements including a belt so located in the platform as to receive a drive wheel of an automobile when the latter is run onto the platform to be subject to the turning of said automobile wheel.

3. In an elevator, drive means therefor, including drive element on the platform of the elevator adapted for driving engagement with the driven wheels of an automobile ave means, said brake e pendent n the eleh "5" tan the latter is on said platform, and

the latter is in driving engagement with said drive elements on the platform.

4:. In an elevator, rope drums, a drive shaft, connection between the drive shaft and the drums, a rope wheel on the drive 10 acting as a slack take-up means to compensate for the relative movements of the rope wheels, and elements on the platform to drive the second rope wheel, said elements including a belt s0 located in the platform as to receive a drive wheel of an automobile when the latter is run onto the platform to be subject to the turning of said automobile wheel.

JOSEPH OSWALD VOGEL. 

